Members of The Trip strive to live up to their name

Hagerstown rock band The Trip is ready to roll out on a regional tour, with scheduled stops in Baltimore and New York.

The band hopes these shows will prep them for higher-profile shows like the Western Maryland Blues Fest, said Steve Goodwin, the band's 27-year-old lead singer.

The Trip is an old band with a new name. The band used to be called Revelation, which performed at a Maryland Theatre fundraiser last year.

The Trip will perform at Divi's Nightclub in Hagerstown on Saturday and will be at Oasis Hookah Lounge and Cafe on June 27.

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The Trip is headed to Baltimore for a July 19 gig at The Brass Monkey Saloon in Fells Point, where they'll join Charm City rockers Liquid Lucky and the Allen Snyder Band, an acoustic rock band from Hagerstown.

Goodwin said The Trip is anticipating what may be their biggest show yet, a July 31 performance at Kenny's Castaways in New York City. Kenny's Castaways is the same Greenwich Village venue that has played host to Aerosmith, Rod Stewart and the Ramones.

"It's definitely going to be cool, but we're just going to do it like any other show," Goodwin said.

Goodwin said the band plans to release its first full-length album by the end of summer.

Q&A with Trip frontman Steve Goodwin

Q: Who are you listening to right now?A: moe., Ben Harper, Allman Brothers, Galactic -- I kind of stick with the bands I've been listening to through the years.

Q: So what was the last concert you've been to, as a music fan?A: Man, it's really tough when you're doing your own thing. I saw (John) Scofield at Blues Fest. (John) Medeski was incredible. Scofield was exactly as I expected. As a guitar player, I was kind of grooving with him. There were a lot of good bands at Blues Fest this year.

Q: So, hands down, who's the best guitarist of all time?A: I really can't say, because there are too many out there. There's Hendrix, there's Santana ... No two guitar players are the same. I guess I couldn't say because I could go on with a list of 50 or 100.

Q: For people who have never heard of The Trip, how would you describe yourself, if you could only use three words?A: Basically, the name of the band explains itself: The Trip.